Updating Life

I haven’t blogged in a long time. Not really sure why. Things just get so busy and our life is so topsy turbulent sometimes that I just can’t find the time to “blog”. Is blogging even popular anymore? I’m honestly not sure. But anyway, thought I would take a little minute to update on our family. Kevin and I are busy as ever, raising kids and now raising farm animals!
In 2016 we finally sold our home in the suburbs and moved to the country!
Now we have our little
Piece
Of Heaven we’ve always wanted. Andrew and Shelby bought 20 acres out north of Houston, and they sold us one acre of land and we leased two more from them. So we have three acres, a garden, seven goats, chickens, rabbits, geese, ducks and quail! We love it and the kids do too!
It’s a much more relaxed lifestyle and we do enjoy it. Since we lost our sweet Sophia in 2017, we have especially appreciated the peaceful atmosphere out here in the country. It’s a balm for the soul
Andrew is teaching fourth grade in our local school
District and he and his beautiful wife Shelby enjoy the country life too. They are doing well and are such a blessing to us. I love having them close by and they are always willing to help
Us when we need them!
Katie is graduating this summer from Texas Tech University and has already accepted a job for this coming fall as a fifth grade teacher in a district about 35 minutes from us. She has her own apartment and the kids enjoy visiting big sis! I’m so proud of her and the accomplishments she’s made since getting out of the army. She’s going to be a great teacher!
Miss Christina had a big year too! She went to senior prom with Logan, and she just graduated from high school! What an inspiration she is. Not
Bad for a
Little
One who wasn’t supposed to live a year!
Stephen is getting his drivers license this summer, just got his first job, and we were able to buy him a cute little Ford Ranger truck that is already adapted with hand controls. He taking adaptive driving lessons now and expects to have his license by mid July. He’s growing up fast. Can’t believe he’s seventeen already!
Joshua is nine and such a little monkey! He keeps
Us all laughing  (and sometimes crying in exasperation) with his antics and rambunctious personality. He’s just a little joy and we are so blessed to have him in our family.
As always, we continue to miss Emily and wonder what
She
Would be doing if she were still with us. She would be thirteen. And now, we will also forever be
Missing Sophia as well. She passed at Texas Children’s Hospital in March 2017
From respiratory failure. She fought long and hard, but her little body was just worn out. We miss her spirit in our home.  Joshua’s especially
Misses having his little sister with him.
All in all,we are survivors and our family carries on through faith and with the helping
Of a loving Heavenly Father.
If you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking with me. Who knows when I will be back for an update! Blessings to you all from the Mason Menagerie!

Missing in Action....not really

Wow, have I really not posted here in two years? Is that possible? I guess it really is. Life got busy and the blog got pushed to the back of priorities. Also, I find that sometimes it is hard to put all my thoughts in writing these days. I am truly blessed in so many ways. And yet, still carry such sadness inside from losing Emily, that I feel guilty for having those moments of sorrow. She would want us to carry on and be happy. And most days we do. But there are still those times when myself, or Kevin, or Stephen just really hurt with the deep grieving we still feel. I suspect her older brother and sister have those moments too, even though they don't talk about it too often.
But alas, time keeps moving on. So do we. Life happens.  And the last two years have been good. No doubt about that. We finalized Sophia's adoption over a year ago. She is growing strong and healthy despite those "know it all" doctors! Joshua's adoption will be finalized October 2, 2015. The delay on his finalization is another story for another post! But let's just say we are happy, happy to finally make him an official little Mason in a few weeks!
Our family remains strong. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ remains strong. We look forward to continuing to grow our family (hopefully through some grandkids one of these days!) seeing what our future holds.
I have renewed my commitment to posting more often here. Hopefully some of you will be interested in hearing from us!  If not, well, maybe the kids and grandkids will enjoy the journaling some day!